Last week was our Edwards family reunion, in celebration of the parentals return from their most recent LDS mission, and their 50th Anniversary, which had occurred while they were away. We spent several months preparing for the event, and in an effort to save some money, I reserved a rental car. The cost for a flight was just outrageous, and I wasn't sure my beloved Monty could make the trip.
The week of the reunion finally arrived, and the afternoon before I was to leave, I arranged for one of the neighbor ladies to take me to pick up the rental. However...we couldn't find it. Come to find out, the rental agency was no longer there. We stopped at a neighboring business to ask, and they provided us with a phone number. I called that number, and was informed of the new address. After driving around for an hour, we finally arrived at the new location for the rental agency, only to discover they didn't have the car I had reserved. The situation just did not feel right, so I switched to a plan B, which was to take the Monty and hope for the best.
To make sure Monty would be all ready to go, I stopped off at Les Schwab, for a check of the tires and a rotation. Unfortunately, the recommendation was there was no way I was going to make a 1,300 mile trip on the current tires. So, $750 and 4 new tires later, Monty was deemed fit to travel.
I left the next morning, and all was smooth sailing, until around Brigham City, when I started to hear a misfire in the engine. The misfire got progressively worse, but by the time I got to Tremonton, things had evened out, so I kept going. Unfortunately, this is how the rest of the trip went. Monty misfiring, lurching, and shaking on the freeway, and me praying to get to the next town. I made it as far as LaGrande, Oregon, when I decided I'd had enough, and called my brothers to come and get me. The good brothers came, and we eventually made it home to Hermiston but it was a nervetracking trip.
Friday morning dawned, and Dad and I were first in line at the mechanic. The mechanic listened to my story, and put in a new fuel filter. Several hours later, he sent me on my way. I figured the best way to test it was to take it on the freeway to Tri-Cities the next morning. So Saturday morning, with Sister's family in tow, we headed to Tri-Cities, where the same behavior occurred. At this point, we all realized Monty would not be making the drive back to Salt Lake. So off I went with Dad and one of my brothers to the car dealership, where several hours later, I ended up driving off with a brand-new 2017 Volkswagen Jetta.
To say that a new car was not part of my plans is an understatement. I had intended to keep Monty going for several more years as I go through school. All my savings is going towards tuition to pay for said school. So to me this all felt like really bad timing. How was I going to afford a car payment, and how was I going to pay for fall semester now that I'd used part of that money for a down payment? I did not handle the situation well at all. This was only the latest in what had been a most discouraging month for me, and I was quite beside myself. As Clint Eastwood would say, I had some serious "trouble with the curve". But thankfully my family, and in particular my Dad and my brothers all hung in there with me, and things ended up working out, at least for now.
The Monty is currently parked in front of Mom's and Dad's. After 12 years and over 100,000 miles together, it was really tough to say goodbye. Through thick and thin, the Monty has kept me going, and been a reliable friend. But the Jetta is a great car. It's fun to drive, affordable, and get's terrific gas mileage. I'm looking forward to several years with it. And can you say "CRUISE CONTROL"? Seriously, who knew?
The week of the reunion finally arrived, and the afternoon before I was to leave, I arranged for one of the neighbor ladies to take me to pick up the rental. However...we couldn't find it. Come to find out, the rental agency was no longer there. We stopped at a neighboring business to ask, and they provided us with a phone number. I called that number, and was informed of the new address. After driving around for an hour, we finally arrived at the new location for the rental agency, only to discover they didn't have the car I had reserved. The situation just did not feel right, so I switched to a plan B, which was to take the Monty and hope for the best.
To make sure Monty would be all ready to go, I stopped off at Les Schwab, for a check of the tires and a rotation. Unfortunately, the recommendation was there was no way I was going to make a 1,300 mile trip on the current tires. So, $750 and 4 new tires later, Monty was deemed fit to travel.
I left the next morning, and all was smooth sailing, until around Brigham City, when I started to hear a misfire in the engine. The misfire got progressively worse, but by the time I got to Tremonton, things had evened out, so I kept going. Unfortunately, this is how the rest of the trip went. Monty misfiring, lurching, and shaking on the freeway, and me praying to get to the next town. I made it as far as LaGrande, Oregon, when I decided I'd had enough, and called my brothers to come and get me. The good brothers came, and we eventually made it home to Hermiston but it was a nervetracking trip.
Friday morning dawned, and Dad and I were first in line at the mechanic. The mechanic listened to my story, and put in a new fuel filter. Several hours later, he sent me on my way. I figured the best way to test it was to take it on the freeway to Tri-Cities the next morning. So Saturday morning, with Sister's family in tow, we headed to Tri-Cities, where the same behavior occurred. At this point, we all realized Monty would not be making the drive back to Salt Lake. So off I went with Dad and one of my brothers to the car dealership, where several hours later, I ended up driving off with a brand-new 2017 Volkswagen Jetta.
To say that a new car was not part of my plans is an understatement. I had intended to keep Monty going for several more years as I go through school. All my savings is going towards tuition to pay for said school. So to me this all felt like really bad timing. How was I going to afford a car payment, and how was I going to pay for fall semester now that I'd used part of that money for a down payment? I did not handle the situation well at all. This was only the latest in what had been a most discouraging month for me, and I was quite beside myself. As Clint Eastwood would say, I had some serious "trouble with the curve". But thankfully my family, and in particular my Dad and my brothers all hung in there with me, and things ended up working out, at least for now.
The Monty is currently parked in front of Mom's and Dad's. After 12 years and over 100,000 miles together, it was really tough to say goodbye. Through thick and thin, the Monty has kept me going, and been a reliable friend. But the Jetta is a great car. It's fun to drive, affordable, and get's terrific gas mileage. I'm looking forward to several years with it. And can you say "CRUISE CONTROL"? Seriously, who knew?
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